A frustrated Tony Vitello acknowledged that Tennessee baseball has to be better in series finales after the Vols dropped their fifth in the last six weeks 7-5 versus Vanderbilt Sunday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. But Vitello was quick to mention that Tennessee needs to be better earlier in the weekend to set themselves up for more success in series finales.
What did Vitello specifically mean by that?
“We’re all friends here,” Vitello told the assembled media. “Saturday needs to be better. Day two needs to be better. I don’t give a shit who’s pitching or who’s playing.”
Tennessee’s eighth-year head coach’s stark comments came a day after he was even more blunt assessing game two starter Marcus Phillips and his inability to control the running game.
“(Cannon) Peebles threw two guys out,” Vitello said Saturday. “We got a different starting pitcher tomorrow, so the other guy (Marcus Phillips) needs to get better at it, or he’s not going to pitch.”
Vitello, who is always quick to minimize the struggles of his players while talking to the media, offering such a strong condemnation of Phillips’ issues was surprising. Highlighting the game two struggles a day later was, again, eye opening.
There’s no arguing with the facts behind Vitello’s assessment. Opposing teams have stolen 36 bases against Phillips this season with Tennessee catchers throwing just four out for a lousy 10% caught stealing rate.
Opponents have swiped 65 bags against the rest of Tennessee’s pitching staff with the Vols’ backstops catching those runners stealing at a respectable 26.3%.
SEC teams have particularly prayed on Phillips’ slow delivery. In the last six weeks, where Tennessee has won just one series, opponents have combined to steal 25 bases against Phillips with four of the six swiping four-plus bases.
Phillips’ big leg kick which makes him so vulnerable isn’t going anywhere this season and gives catcher Cannon Peebles little chance to manage the run game. The issue is magnified by Tennessee’s defensive struggles and vice versa.
“Liam Doyle comes out, and the guy’s a freaking warrior. And our guys take on that personality,” Vitello said. “Unfortunately, it’s the SEC, so the other team usually has a warrior like JD Thompson or a guy that’s going be in the big leagues.
“But then the next day isn’t what it needs to be. And I could give you a few conspiracy theories. … But I don’t really know. I just know what I’m watching, and that can affect and carry and put a little more pressure into day three. So, ideally, you want to be the same type of team every day, but each day’s got a new personality.”
More From RTI: Where Tennessee Projects In SEC Baseball Tournament Seeding A Week Out
How feasible is it for Tennessee to make a move away from Phillips in its weekend rotation with just one regular season series left?
Even with his struggles, Phillips has been Tennessee’s second most productive pitcher in SEC play posting a 4.47 ERA in 44.1 innings pitched. But there’s a real argument that the mental toll that not being able to handle the run game has on the team is more important than that production.
For a Tennessee team allergic to positive momentum, the weight of each stolen base seems to weigh more-and-more throughout game two of weekend series.
When it comes to other feasible options, Tennessee does have two. Freshman Tegan Kuhns is Tennessee’s third most productive pitcher in SEC play, has started seven conference games and its well past time Vitello and Frank Anderson took the training wheels off the freshman.
“He (Tegan Kuhns) was really good,” Vitello said. “Same as Auburn. Good presence. [He] would like to go back and have a couple pick-off throws be a little different. That’s usually kinda one of his strengths. How he balances out the run game a little bit is his athleticism. He’s definitely good at fielding his position. But he did a nice job.”
AJ Russell “threw the ball well” on a season-high 48 pitches and 3.2 innings in relief of game two versus Vanderbilt. It was the junior’s best outing of his short season, allowing one unearned run on two hits and one walk while striking out five.
If Tennessee wants to make a move away from Phillips as a weekend starter, they could. But that presents one question and one issue.
How does Phillips handle losing his starting job this late in the season? The junior is a good teammate but that doesn’t guarantee he will respond the right way. With a thin bullpen, the Vols have to get innings from Phillips.
Secondly, Phillips inability to hold runners is still an issue out of the bullpen. It’s arguably a bigger issue in high-leverage late game innings. If Russell and Kuhns aren’t in the bullpen, Phillips will feel some of those innings.
Tennessee is in a bad spot which is to be expected for a team that’s dropped four straight series. Shaking things up and moving away from Phillips is feasible, but doesn’t seem to be a fix all.
